We used to hit this place fairly often when I was at Grad Film School..
Was in transition then..half younger people, half older regulars who really didn't like the younger people coming in.
I remember someone telling me how awesome it was ( he did not say awesome but some 70's word-- oh, God, I hope it was not "groovy") that Dylan Thomas drank himself to death there. I mean, how utterly cool ( is it when you think about it?)
Let me see what I can find on the net
White Horse Tavern (New York City)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
See also: White Horse Tavern, Cambridge
The White Horse Tavern, located in New York City's borough of Manhattan at Hudson Street and 11th Street, is known for its 1950s and 1960s Bohemian culture. It is one of the few major gathering-places for writers and artists from this period in Greenwich Village that remains open. The bar opened in 1880, but was known more as a longshoremen's bar than a literary center until Dylan Thomas
and other writers began frequenting it in the early 1950s. Due to its
literary fame, in the past few decades the White Horse has become a
popular destination among tourists.[1]The White Horse is perhaps most famous as the place where Dylan Thomas drank heavily, returned to the Chelsea Hotel, became ill and died a few days later of unrelated causes. Other famous patrons include The Clancy Brothers (who also performed at the establishment), Mary Travers, Jim Morrison, Norman Mailer, James Baldwin, Bob Dylan, Michael Harrington, Seymour Krim, Delmore Schwartz, Richard Fariña, Jane Jacobs, and Hunter S. Thompson. The White Horse is the tavern - "Once upon a time there was a tavern" - referred to in the opening line of Gene Raskin's song Those Were the Days, adapted from a Russian folk song of the 1920s.
About the same time, the White Horse was a gathering place for labor members and organizers and socialists. The Catholic Workers hung out here and the idea for the Village Voice was discussed here. The Village Voice original offices were within blocks of the White Horse. Much of the content was discussed here by the editors.
Now let me see if I can find a Yelp review of the place as it is today
White Horse Tavern
567 Hudson St
(between 11th St & Perry St)
New York, NY 10014
Neighborhood: West Village
(212) 989-3956
(between 11th St & Perry St)
New York, NY 10014
Neighborhood: West Village
(212) 989-3956
- Nearest Transit Station:
-
Christopher St - Sheridan Sq (1, 2)14 St (1, 2, 3)8 Av (L)
- Hours:
- Mon-Thu, Sun 11 am - 2 amFri-Sat 11 am - 4 am
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- No
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Price Range:
- $$
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- No
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Late Night
- Music:
- Juke Box
- Best Nights:
- Thu, Fri, Sat
- Happy Hour:
- Yes
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Smoking:
- No
- Coat Check:
- No
- Drive-Thru:
- No
- Noise Level:
- Loud
- Good For Dancing:
- No
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Caters:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
About This Business:
A friendly, neighborhood pub and sports bar. With 15 big-screen TVs you can take in a variety of Football, Soccer, and Rugby games while enjoying a beer… read more »
189 reviews for White Horse Tavern
Review Highlights What's this?
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"Also one of Dylan Thomas' favourite watering holes and as a fellow..." In 32 reviews -
"They have outdoor seating in the summer which is always an added..." In 26 reviews -
"...up classic pub staples and the "best burger in the West Village." In 30 reviews
Rating Distribution | Trend
189 reviews in English
-
Review from Tom M.
- 1 friend
3/29/2013
The best time is summer when they have the outdoor tables there.. it draws the biggest outdoor crowd because of the size of the place, you have the bar room and then the restaurant/table portion, and then along that you have rows of outdoor tables.
According to legend, Dylan Thomas did 18 shots of whiskey here, saw a vision of hell, and then died that night. It's a solid choice. -
Review from Elizabeth C.
- 0 friends
7/1/2013
To set the scene- My husband and I were primed to be the easiest to please customers ever. After checking out the fun festivities at the Pride Parade, we were ready for some air conditioning, snacks, and to catch some of a soccer game. Most of the bars along the parade route were packed and the White Horse Tavern was the first spot that had a bunch of empty tables. In retrospect, that should have been a clear sign.
It really seemed great at first. We walked in at about 1:30 PM and we were greeted and told to sit wherever we liked. There were two TVs on by the bar and my husband was hoping to catch the end of the Italy v. Uruguay soccer game of the FIFA Confederation's Cup. We ordered drinks and asked if the TV broadcasting a replay of a PGA tour tournament (that no one seemed to be paying any attention to) could be changed to the soccer game. Our server said she'd check. Fifteen minutes later, no TV change so we asked a different person who replied "We're busy right now." Okay. We got our food. It was fine, nothing special but we weren't looking for special.
Ask #3 to... a bouncer? I asked, "Could the golf game be changed for the soccer game on ESPN2?" He pointed at the TV and said, "That's the golf channel." ??? At this point, the soccer game was going into extra time. Let me emphasize- No one was watching golf. The other TV had the Mets game on and people were clearly paying attention to it. Had the Mets game been on the other TV we probably would not have asked for it to be changed. Had people been watching the replay of golf, we probably would not have asked for it to be changed.
Ask #4 to our original server. She was a bit huffy but asked the gentleman bar tending to change the channel. This is where it got absurd. He said: "No, this is America. Home of the brave." WHAT. Zero points awarded for even trying to make a logical argument about someone watching the golf... no one was watching the golf, I promise. But, you do have to be very brave to watch golf, I guess. -
Review from John W.
- 26 friends
3/25/2013
I came in just to see where Dylan Thomas drank (heavily) and died a few days later. From what I understand, this is a place lots of people of note used to come, especially in the 1950's and 60's.
I can't say too much much about the establishment itself, as it was the middle of the day, the bartender wasn't bad but was just there, and there were no customers, but stop on by if you want to see a bit of New York history.Listed in: Places to Eat/Drink in NYC -
Review from ivette d.
- 33 friends
3/18/2013
Every time I go to this place it just seems to get worse. Their beers are consistently flat. Can't they get the Guinness right, at least?
And the servers are like rottens. They push and shove their customers to get by. "EXCUSE ME" works better. And when three people order drinks how hard is it to get just one order right?
Cash only? Get a credit machine 'tis 2013.
If you want mediocre beer and some delicious curly fries - this is your place. But if Dylan Thomas walked in there now, he'd die. Not that they'd mind, as poisoning him is their only claim to fame.
Lousy bartenders, surly bouncers and unfriendly management complete this authentic old time New York experience.
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